NEW DELHI: With the ground situation in Sudan going from bad to worse, foreign nations are racing against time to evacuate their citizens from the conflict-ridden country.
On Sunday, the US and the UK said they have pulled out their diplomats from Khartoum, while other countries including France, Italy and Belgium have begun the process to evacuate their citizens.
India has put two Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft on standby in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Sunday, adding that INS Sumedha has reached Port Sudan, a port city in eastern Sudan. “As part of our preparations, and in order to move swiftly, the Government of India is pursuing multiple options,” the MEA added.
According to sources, Saudi Arabia is a safer option for evacuation as they have been able to evacuate their nationals and also nationals of many other countries. India has an estimated 3,000 nationals in Sudan. Reports said three Indians were among the 66 foreign nationals that Saudi Arabia evacuated on Saturday.
Last week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had spoken to his counterpart in Saudi Arabia and asked for help in evacuating Indians stuck in Sudan. India is also in touch with Egypt, the UK, the UAE and the US for help in the evacuation process.
“The Indian embassy is functional. However, it is very close to the airport at Khartoum where a lot of shelling is taking place. We are extremely cautious,’’ MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, adding that the control room in Delhi is facilitating information for family members of those stranded in Sudan.
Officials said contingency plans are firmly in place but any movement on the ground would depend on the security situation, which continues to be volatile with reports of fierce fighting at various locations in Khartoum. The Sudanese airspace currently remains closed for all foreign aircraft. The overland movement has its own risks besides logistical challenges.
“Our Embassy is in regular touch with the stranded Indians in Sudan and is advising them on the viability of safe movement and the need to avoid unnecessary risk. It is also coordinating all possible assistance including possible exit from Khartoum city as and when the security situation permits safe movement,” said MEA.
Meanwhile, the situation became tense in Sudan on April 15th after the country’s army clashed with a powerful paramilitary force that claimed to have taken control of the airport and the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum.
This happened after failed negotiations between the army, paramilitary and civilian groups over a long-awaited power deal following a coup that happened in 2021.
The army headed by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (who became President after a coup in October 2021) and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemeti) who is Sudan’s vice-president and commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The violence comes as a setback in a much-delayed transition to a civilian government that followed the ousting of dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019, after months of street protests. It is understood that there is a disagreement between the General and Hemeti over the command and integration of the paramilitary force into the army.
Explosions rocked Khartoum on Sunday, leaving the sky over the airport with thick black smoke. The group fighting the army claimed the latter launched airstrikes on an upscale neighbourhood. 420 people, including 264 civilians, have been killed and more than 3,700 have been wounded in the fighting
Evacuation ops in full-swing